The troops of the former Liberian president Samuel Doe invaded
parts of Sierra Leone and used it as a base and source of plunder.
After his overthrow they seem to have been aided and encouraged
by Charles Taylor, a criminal (jailed in the United States) who
became 'elected' president of Liberia after leading a rebel military
group. He was a warlord.

Like the MNR guerrilla forces in Mozambique and the UNITA
forces in Angola this seemed to be a conflict in which there
was no political control. The invading forces appeared to be
out of control and enjoying random violence, looting and killing
for its own sake. However, they controlled mainly the diamond
producing areas and shipped diamonds out to Liberia where they
came into the hands of Taylor.

UN reports 500,000 refugees October 1993.

This was a nasty war in which the civilians were the main
victims. For a period the South African contract troops (Executive
Outcomes) working for the government seemed to improve the position
of the government - but in whose interest? Nigerian peacekeeping
troops may not have been much better than either the government
or the rebel forces. The rebels specialised in cutting off the
hands and other limbs of civilians (without hands they could
not work).

Eventually, after a civilian government, ostensibly elected,
faced a rebellion by rebel troops, the British government sent
a military team that prevented the government from being overthrown,
and with a UN peacekeeping force, restored the elected government.
The leader of the rebels, Foday Sanko, was arrested and has since
died, before coming to trial.

It seems that while a British force remains in the country
(training a new government army) the war may be over. But the
whole area including Ivory Coast has become unstable in recent
years. There is also assistance from British civil servants in
the SL ministries.

Charles Taylor is on trial at the Special Criminal Court for
Sierra Leone at the Hague in the Netherlands.